1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to beverage bottle holders and more particularly, to an insulated beverage bottle jacket adapted for carrying beverage bottles. The insulated jacket is made of neoprene.
2. Description of Related Art
Having a cold beverage readily available and at the same time having one""s hands free from holding the beverage creates an awkward dilemma. Frequently, people like to enjoy a cold beverage while having their hands free for other activities. However, whether in a social setting such a bar or attending a sporting event such as a football game, enjoying a cold beverage requires a person to continuously hold the beverage with at least one hand. This preoccupation with one""s beverage diminishes the enjoyment of the activity.
The prior art describes a variety of bottle holders, for example, an ornamental design for a bottle jacket is described in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 334,889, issued on Apr. 20, 1993 to K. Condemi et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,890, issued on Apr. 15, 1980 to J. F. Simko, describes an insulating jacket for bottles. The insulation jacket consists of a cylindrical wrapper of thin flexible insulating material and has top and bottom closures.
An insulated bottle holder is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,254, issued on Nov. 24, 1987 to J. E. Byrns. The insulated bottle holder consists of an outer shell made of a moldable, resilient plastic material and inner removable insulating liner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,554, issued on Nov. 16, 1993 to D. G. Forbes, describes an insulated beverage container. The insulated beverage container is characterized by an insulated tube of selected length provided with circular end collars having removable, sealing lids and a flexible connecting strap for maintaining at least one of the lids in a closed condition on one end of the insulated tube.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a thermally insulated beverage bottle holder.
It is another object of the invention to provide a beverage bottle holder that conforms to the shape of the bottle.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a beverage bottle holder that allows hands-free activity.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a beverage bottle holder that has an auxiliary bottle cap and bottle opener.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an insulated beverage bottle holder for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
To meet the above objectives, the present invention provides a decorative neoprene beverage bottle jacket that has a convenient detachable carrying strap. In a first embodiment, the thermally insulated beverage bottle jacket of the present invention has an ancillary bottle cap and bottle opener. Therefore, the bottle opener of the beverage bottle holder of the present invention can be used to remove the cap from a bottle such as a beer bottle and the bottle cap of the beverage bottle holder can be used to keep the contents of the beverage bottle fresh. The detachable strap can be straddled around a person""s neck or draped over a person""s shoulder for hands free holding and carrying of a beverage bottle. The insulated beverage bottle jacket has a conveniently located zipper that allows for easy insertion or removal of a beverage bottle. Indicia can be placed on the jacket to enhance its appearance or to communicate some message.
In a second embodiment, the thermally insulated beverage bottle jacket has a convenient pocket for storing items and a thermo-coolant lining containing a refrigerant that can be frozen. The frozen thermo-coolant lining serves to maintain a cold condition.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.